AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIP | Even in the face of errant golf balls, "Everybody loves Ray!"

Axie Navas / Tahoe Daily Tribune
Actor Ray Romano gets ready to hit from the beach on hole 17 at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course during the American Century Championship in Stateline, Nev. on Saturday, July 21, 2012. The final round of the ACC is on Sunday.

Related Media

STATELINE, Nev. - Deb Allenspach is a golf ball magnet. Or at least she was on Saturday when both Gary Sheffield and Ray Romano hit drives right into her camp on the beach at the 17th hole.

First Sheffield sliced his ball over Allenspach's tent and directly into her backpack. About 20 minutes later, Romano was also in the sand behind her stakeout. As the actor and comedian lined up for his chip, Allenspach and the rest of her party hurriedly pulled up their tent stakes to clear an opening to the green.

"He hit over here and we just made a path for him. Everybody loves Ray! He's just sweet, he talks to the fans," Allenspach said.

It took three hits, but eventually Romano escaped the sand and, surrounded by a cheering crowd, sunk the ball two over par.

Instead of letting the close call bother her, Allenspach and the rest of her beach crew from Arizona were ecstatic.

"We definitely got the right spot," said Alex Law, another member of the group.

Romano didn't express quite the same level of enthusiasm about the shot, admitting he played a much poorer round than he did Friday.

"Not good. Yesterday was much better. I hit my ball into a tent, I think. No, I hit my ball into a barbeque, it was pretty much a drunk barbecue going on. It's a hard hole, double bogey in front of the cameras, you know, that's the way it is. I'm not a pro," Romano said.